Friday, December 4, 2009

287 – 21 Days Till Christmas

Well, the weather finally turned a bit cooler here after a 67 degree Tuesday morning. We may even get a bit of snow on Saturday!

It should be a busy weekend as I have stuff going on tonight, Saturday day and at night, and part of Sunday.

One of my co-workers brought in one of these to put on his desk yesterday. It’s called the “Frog-O-Sphere”, and it’s so cool! They sell them mostly at Brookstone stores, but I guess they’re in other places too now. Of course, PETA is all up in arms about them, but for sure these two aren’t being mistreated! *chuckling* They’re stars in work.

So.. what’s everyone think now of Tiger Woods? The idiot couldn’t keep it in his pants and now he’s mad that the tabloids found out about his indiscretions! So many people used to look up to him, and now, he’s gone and ruined it on his own. What ARE these people thinking! And the women, they KNOW he’s married! Go figure.

Here's a group that believes ever song ever done has used one of four chords! It's hilarious..

Did anyone watch the TV show Ghost Hunters this week? They investigated The Mark Twain house here in Hartford! What a gorgeous house!

Well, not much else for today.. so I’ll say have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

286 – Cool Weather & Darwin

Well, the cooler weather has arrived. This morning on the way to work, it was down to about 24 degrees. Thankfully, we haven’t had any snow yet… but we know it’s coming.

This week is very busy with things going on after work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and a holiday party on Saturday.

Not sure if I mentioned that my son has a full time job finally. It’s still at the supermarket that he’s worked at since he was 16, but he’s moving up into a managerial position with better money and longer hours. He bragged the first week (before the week started) that he’ll have 46 hours that week. I told him to come brag to me AFTER working those hours! *LOL*

It’s just good to see him finally making some money so he can pay his bills off (and the holidays are coming quick!)

Now, for this year’s Darwin Awards…:

These get better and better every year!

The wait is over sports fans--this years celebrated "Darwin Awards" areout! Winner:

1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California , would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the Honorable Mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim wasapproved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car duringa blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had takenthe space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting From Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the manpulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer: $15. (If someone points a gun at you and gives YOU money, is a crimecommitted?)

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinderblock through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinderblock and heaved it over his head at the window.  The cinderblock bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas.The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, 'Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from.'

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into aBurger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 5 a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk saidthey weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.

******A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER*****

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank  by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, sayingthat it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

Have a wonderful Hump-Day!

Monday, November 30, 2009

285 – Math, or the lack thereof

Well, I am off Monday, but I wanted to post an update.

Thanksgiving went perfectly, with an outstanding 19.5 pound turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (some call it dressing), corn, turnips and all the little things like black olives and cranberry sauce. Everyone had a fantastic time, the food was the best we’ve ever had, the turkey was incredibly juicy.. it was great.

I was having some work done on my house, so I was pretty much at home on Friday and Saturday. Sunday, my daughter ran some errands then went to Pier 1 Imports where my daughter bought a small, rattan foot stool to go with a chair she has, and the padded pillow for it. We were told, there were 20% off on each piece, so when we got to the register, the girl had no idea how to figure 20% off it seems. Sure enough, her math was wrong even though we told her it was. When we got home, I took out the sales flyer from there, which had the correct price in it, and sure enough, the girl was wrong. We went back, and while my daughter (the Masters Degreed Math teacher) explained that they owed her money, the managers calculator kept coming up with a different number, and my daughter got steamed when she figured out their calculator always rounded up in their favor.  This is just one small example of how people can’t do simple math anymore. I see it myself all the time when people go to give me change.

Now, on to something fun:

The American Film Institute's top 100 movie quotes, all said in a video. (this is incredible) Be sure to check below the video for the names of all the movies.

Well, that’s it for now.. have a wonderful Monday!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

284 – Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it’s that time of year once again where we give thanks for what we have in our lives. Friends, Family, and all else we’re thankful for.

I have so much to be thankful for… my whole family, having a good job, everything that makes me happy. I hope you’re all as thankful for what you have as I am.

We’re having the whole family over at our house as usual this year, and it’s always nice. The smell of turkey throughout the house, the smiles and laughter… we should have Thanksgiving every week at least out of the year! *chuckling*

With that said, I’m off on Friday and Monday, so I’m not sure if there will be a blog post on those days.

Oh, if you ever wanted to know the history of "Black Friday", read it here!

And now, something to make you chuckle:

From my good friend michelle:

The Bus

A lady about 8 months pregnant got on a bus. She noticed the man opposite her wassmiling at her. She immediately moved to another seat.

This time the smile turnedinto a grin, so she moved again. The man seemed more amused.

When on the fourth move, the man burst out laughing, She complained to the driver and he had the man arrested. The case came up in court.

The judge asked the man (about 20 years old) What he had to say for himself.

The man replied, 'Well your Honor, it was like this: When the lady got on the bus, Icouldn't help but notice her condition. She sat down under a sign that said, 'TheDouble Mint Twins are coming' and I grinned. Then she moved and sat under a signthat said, ' Logan 's Liniment will reduce the swelling,' and I had to smile. Thenshe placed herself under a deodorant sign that said, 'William's Big Stick Did theTrick,' and I could hardly contain myself. But, Your Honor, when she moved thefourth time And sat under a sign that said, 'Goodyear Rubber could have preventedthis Accident!' ... I just lost it.''CASE DISMISSED!!'

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!

Monday, November 23, 2009

283 – Let The Shopping… BEGIN!

Yeah, this is the week that most people go crazy on “Black Friday” and shop from the wee hours in the morning till they either drop, or run out of money. My daughter has been known to go out on this day shopping, but I try my best to not have to go shopping. There’s no parking, the people tend to be a bit more rude (maybe from getting up so early?), and the lines a lot longer, all to save $1.99 on something.

This past weekend was supposed to be gorgeous out, weather wise, so I had called my insurance company to ask just what it would take to put the Vette back on for just two days. The answer was I’d have to come down and fill out paperwork… and I said, nah, never mind but thanks.

I got a phone call back less than 30 seconds later saying my Vette WAS still insured, as I had failed to mail back a form that I had to sign to take it off. I found the paper, signed it… and told them I’d bring it by on Monday. So, Saturday, I took the Vette out for a nice long ride up to meet a bunch of friends for breakfast from my former work place. Driving there, I was early, and saw one of my favorite places to take pictures of it, Satan’s Kingdom, so I pulled in and snapped a few shots.

vette09

 

The picture is taken against the backdrop of the Farmington River. Most of the leaves are off the trees, so you can see pretty far in all directions.

 

river2

 

 

 

At right, is a view upriver (click on any picture to ‘embiggen’).

 

 

river3  And a picture downriver.

Well, enough for today… have a wonderful Monday people!

Friday, November 20, 2009

282 – Here Come the Holidays…

It seems like only a week ago that we started the Spring and I was counting the days to taking the Vette out, and it’s already the holiday season. I’ve already started my Christmas Shopping, and snow can’t be too far away.

As usual, next week we’ll be having Thanksgiving at our house, with the whole family being there (with the exception of maybe my brother-in-law, who has H1N1 flu right now). It’s a busy day, but it’s nice to have all the family together.

More holiday shopping this weekend, trying to get it all done early this year, and I can sit back and watch everyone else chase the bargains.

Twitter Watch:
Famous People that have actually spoken to me (even if just once) on Twitter:

Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef), Chip Coffey (Paranormal State), Kris Williams – Jason Hawes – and Grant Wilson from Ghost Hunters, Cheeseburger Brown (Author), Gene Sloan (Writer for USA Today). Hey, it’s a start!

On to something to make you smile:

To paraphrase W.C. Fields, "I don't drink water, because fish screw in it."

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine... and those who don't...As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom,In beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstratedthat if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we wouldhave absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteriafound in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop..

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum,whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember: Water = Poop,  Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid,than to drink water and be full of shit.There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service!

Have a Wonderful Weekend All!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

281 – Wordless Wednesday - Morning Sail (made by me, 2003)

morning sail1024

(Click on picture to ‘embiggen’)